Cricket: Zimbabwe shock cocky Australians

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Zimbabwe have pulled off a shock five-wicket victory against Twenty20 cricket World Cup favourites Australia in Durban this morning (NZT), winning with one ball to spare. Brendan Taylor scored an unbeaten 60 in Zimbabwe's modest... More... [h1]Cricket: Zimbabwe shock cocky Australians[/h1] 8:03AM Thursday September 13, 2007 Cricket World Cup 2007

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Zimbabwe have pulled off a shock five-wicket victory against Twenty20 cricket World Cup favourites Australia in Durban this morning (NZT), winning with one ball to spare. Brendan Taylor scored an unbeaten 60 in Zimbabwe's modest total of 139 for five. Zimbabwe restricted Australia to 138 for nine with some brilliant fielding after being asked to bowl by Ricky Ponting at the Newlands Stadium. Prior to the tournament, the Australian media machine had been saying Australia were so far ahead of any other team, that the tournament would "lack tension". * * * In an earlier match, Shahid Afridi took four wickets in Pakistan's 51-run victory over Scotland. Scotland captain Ryan Watson won the toss at the Kingsmead Stadium and sent Pakistan in to bat. Pakistan reached 50 for three in the eighth over of the group D match. But Younis Khan hit 41 off 29 balls and Pakistan recovered to 171 off its 20 overs, with Afridi hitting two 6s in his 22 off seven balls. Scotland was unable to cope with the legspinners from Afridi who finished with 4-19 in his four overs. Fast bowler Umar Gul was also too much for the Scottish batsmen, taking 4-25.

[King]

What a great leveler this sport is? I guess a result of such magnitude was required for people to turn their attention to Twenty20.

[Mr. Wicket]

I'm at least glad to see Ponting's acknowledgements in the post-match interviews. Too often he's blown off a defeat with comments like "this is a good wake up call" or "good to have this in a warm up game before the real thing". This time he's at least come out and accepted that the side isn't taking it seriously and are being too cocky.

[Donny]

More nonsense: "Prior to the tournament, the Australian media machine had been saying Australia were so far ahead of any other team, that the tournament would "lack tension"." What an over the top generalisation. In fact, there hasn't been a lot of media interest in this tournament, here, with local Aussie Rules and Rugby League finals approaching. Even though it was only T20 (still very embryonic), the Zimbabwe result was great for cricket and even more so for the Zimmers. :regular_smile:

[King]

That article is from NZ herald :wink_smile: Radio sport today has been buzzing with callers wanting to talk about Aussie defeat. Last week rugby WC and Warriors game took masked any cricket related news. This one news of Zimbabwe beating Aussies has spurred much needed interest in the Twenty20. Not that Twenty20 is a format everyone like to follow but whatever the format when Aussies are beaten it is huge and when Zimbabwe beats them it's top cricket news. As I've said before Aussies are so good they are bad for the sport. I hope they are beaten consistently to create a healthy competition in cricket across globe.

[Ram]

No worries Ravi. The cycle of Australian domination is coming to an end, maybe not NOW , but surely in 12-15 months. 4 of their all-conquering team are gone , Gilchrist and Hayden will be gone soon too. Its almost impossible to replace such players its a pity though, that we need great australian players to retire for their hold on world cricket to come to an end , rather than some other team stepping up to the challenge.

[Chandan]

its a pity though' date=' that we need great australian players to retire for their hold on world cricket to come to an end , rather than some other team stepping up to the challenge.[/quote'] But theit replacements aren't bad either. They might not be as great like the retired Aussies but the standard of other teams are also going down instead of few outstanding talents emerging!! Just tell me, will India's team be as good after coming three years? Will Pak be as good in the absence of Inzi, Yusuf, Shoaib? Will England be as good after Flintoff, Harmi, Hoggard? Loss of Aussies has made England's situation uncertain. Read this article: David Hopps in Cape Town Thursday September 13, 2007 The Guardian A shaken Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, condemned his side's mistrust of Twenty20 cricket after they suffered a humiliating five-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe at Newlands last night. Australia have been reluctant converts to the shortest form of the game, but such attitudes may now be banished after Zimbabwe achieved their target of 139 for victory with one ball to spare. ` `We have been outplayed," Ponting admitted. ``Our top-order batting has been diabolical even in the practice matches and it was again tonight. It is a mental thing for us and we have to start respecting the game." Zimbabwe's victory throws Group B, England's group, wide open. England now face Zimbabwe today and Australia on Friday with no certainty that one win would take them through to the second stage. It was almost as bad a result for England as it was for Australia. It was also an embarrassing start for Tim Nielsen, Australia's new coach, whose side were 50-1 on favourites, but who looked unprepared both physically and mentally. They had practiced on the featherbed pitches of Johannesburg and entirely failed to adapt to the more hostile conditions in Cape Town, which has barely emerged from a winter of record rainfall. Only Brad Hodge, the leading career run scorer in English domestic Twenty20 with Leicestershire and Lancashire, looked attuned to the task made difficult by a turgid pitch and zestful Zimbabwean outfielding. Hodge scored 35 from 22 balls to give Australia what seemed to be a manageable total. Zimbabwe were beginning to lose their way at 77-4 in the 12th over, but a rain interruption worked in their favour. Their hero was Brendon Taylor, a 21-year-old opener, who has had several disciplinary spats with Zimbabwe's cricket authorities but who does not lack talent and who played forcefully backward of square on the offside to finish with 60 not out from 45 balls. Two straight sixes in the 15th over after Ponting had gambled upon Hodge's part-time off-spin turned the match. Zimbabwe needed 12 off the last over, and four from the last two balls. Ponting dropped fine leg back, and Bracken met Taylor with a leg stump yorker, but the ball ran fine for four leg byes and Australia suffered a defeat which will force them forced them to reassess their attitudes. The luck that can influence Twenty20 played no part here. Robin Brown, Zimbabwe's new coach, said: ``This has given our cricket so much heart." Earlier this week, Zimbabwe's players, whose Test status is in abeyance, and who are living a hand-to-mouth existence as the economy verges on collapse, learned that the pavilion in Bulawayo, their second ground, now badly fallen into disrepair, had been destroyed by fire. It all brought back memories of 1983 when Zimbabwe's first official international brought them a 13-run World Cup victory against Australia at trent Bridge, the hero that day being Duncan Fletcher, who went onto become England's Ashes-winning coach, who made 69 and took four wickets on his international debut. Fletcher, who lives in Cape Town, was looking on 24 years later.

[Ram]

But theit replacements aren't bad either. They might not be as great like the retired Aussies but the standard of other teams are also going down instead of few outstanding talents emerging!! Just tell me, will India's team be as good after coming three years? Will Pak be as good in the absence of Inzi, Yusuf, Shoaib? Will England be as good after Flintoff, Harmi, Hoggard?

Every team has to grapple with the problem of replacing its greats. Its an inevitable challenge. But as i have told a million times before , i have always believed that outstanding teams are formed on the basis of brilliant players , who when retire , will be impossible to replace.